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avrona's avatar
avrona

Is the current metaverse experience as its being sold an MMO? Yeah, however I don't think it has to be a bad MMO. Pretty much anything branding itself a metaverse experience right now is probably going to be bad, however it doesn't have to be that way, and as the tech improves, and devs get a more clear idea and vision of what the metaverse is even supposed to be, I think we'll see things slowly but surely improve.

It will take a while, especially as the word has gotten off to a bad start, tainted forever by those Web3, NFT, and crypto scammers. I think Meta is probably going to be the concept's saviour here. I mean having a company that is dedicating so much of its resources to the concept, and literally even changing its name to "Meta" to show their commitment to the idea, does at least instill some confidence.

So overall, with the definition of what a metaverse is or isn't being so up in the air right now, it's hard to say what it will become, or if it just remains a hip marketing term for an MMO. Only time will tell. There are obviously some differences already, anything branding itself as a metaverse experience can be expected to implement VR or AR in some way, which is cool, and a great opportunity to bring the MMO genre back in general though. It's a genre that needs innovation, as I spoke for ages about in the MMO bounty. People just need to get their act together and come up with something to back up the claims that the metaverse is the next big thing and not just a buzzword.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
avrona

I totally agree on your point that it could save the MMO, which is something I'm quite passionate about. But it does feel like we're a long way off. My understanding is that Meta, even after their big brand change, are pulling back on their commitments to the Metaverse now. I know they'd spend 34 billion dollars a couple of years ago, but without much to show for it, I believe they're changing focus.

Philip's avatar
Philip

My daughter and her peer group have been getting into Roblox in a big way. They connect with each other via voice chat and discuss which games they will play together on Roblox and then jump on in.

It doesn't have the VR immersion of the science fiction metaverse of movies like 'Ready Player One', but I see it as a precursor.

Will the metaverse catch on?

Well I think the current youth generation will likely buy into this concept, especially if it remains fun.

Maybe instead of teenagers hanging out in the mall, they will connect via the metaverse and play games together between shopping at virtual storefronts.

Alex's avatar
Alex

I have a Quest 2 headset and I started using this in lockdown and was introduced to VRChat, however for VRChat you didn't need to have a headset, you could access the game via the computer but there were some worlds on VRChat that are only accessible via a headset. I haven't used my Quest headset in agesss like the last time I used it was back in March 2022, so it's been a long time.

Personally I can see a strong future for VR and AR technology in games and education, but I don't see the metaverse taking off and I'm not for it. I know there's been a few of us that have cited Ready Player One already, but that book outlined the issues with the metaverse, and to be honest I'm not really a fan of Facebook in general and just have concerns about privacy.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

I’ve had a Quest 2 for the last two years, and it's mostly been gathering dust. Neither I nor my kids were captivated by its gaming potential, even when using it as a PC VR headset. The discomfort from its weight and the heat - outweighs the immersive experience it offers. If a game is engaging, I get absorbed whether it's in high-resolution raytraced 4k or just a simple 8-bit text RPG.

Regarding the 'metaverse' concept, I've observed attempts to create virtual shops where you can dress avatars before purchasing clothes. At the recent Money20/20 conference, there were several VR projects selling virtual real estate, which as a gamer, seemed odd to me. They were pitching houses with graphics similar to The Sims 3, suggesting you could increase their value by adding virtual TVs or sofas - lolwut?

Lastly, I don’t see this as a real threat to physical interactions. there are people who always have a preference for socializing in person. But those who prefer virtual interactions now have more avenues to do so on their terms. So why not?

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Sturmer

Yep, I'm very sceptical about anything that comes close to buying 'virtual real estate'. It reminds me of the 00s craze of 'buying a bit of the moon'.

It's a shame that you weren't happy with your Quest. I have no great interest in buying one anytime soon, but I did take part in a zombie VR experience that I absolutely loved. There's hope!

A
AlexGoesTheWorld

The metaverse is closer to Second Life and similar sim games than a classic MMORPG a la World of Warcraft, FF14, GW2, etc..

The way they sell it, it should be what SL should have become... if it hadn't got stuck into apathy, a poor 20-years old implementation, and no will to touch a relatively decent cash cow. Second Life is the metaverse in 2D, so the metaverse is akin to a SL 2.0.

"Is something we actually want?" It depends on who you ask. Me? No. The married, stay at home woman in her 40s/50s bored with their life but unwilling to change it (one of the demographics of SL) might say "yes, please, where do I pay?".

"In what ways is it better than an MMORPG?" They are different things: an MMORPG is there to play, socialize is a layer on top but the core is about playing a game. The metaverse is about socializing first and less about playing a game. They cannot be compared, they share similarities and could share user pools but one is not intrinsically better than the other.

Now, in regard to my opinion. Aside than a lot of fried air... I've yet to see anything truly game changing. They spoke about revolution here, there, up and down, but it had remained in the business presentations. Instead of pouring money into a substitute of reality so people can be "all perfect and happy" even if the world all around is crumbling and so that they don't have to face their own choices and problems, they should pour them in something useful. I know, useful things don't attract investors as much as the dream of the next level of selling digital bits with minimal production costs for real hard earned money, thus promising great revenue margins.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
AlexGoesTheWorld

I agree with most of this. I guess the main question that remains is do people really want it as a social-first technology without the game element? To me, the idea of using virtual reality to enter fantasy or sci-fi realms is really appealing. The idea of using it to 'hang out' with friends in a fake rooftop bar, less so.

BeyondBelief's avatar
BeyondBelief

I'm really on the fence about the metaworld. Still very new technology even though it's been out for a few years hasn't really captivated or kept the interest of many in my opinion. Very expensive equipment and also requries users to have a decent sized space to be able to use it can be the inital first problem for many. Speaking for myself, I don't own one, and if I did, I'm not really sure what I'd do with it. As a creator I don't know of anyone who actually owns one nor do I hear about any excitment in that sector. When I think of VR especially I think of gaming, but even with that said there's not many games I'd be will to give a go that would perhaps give me a better experience that playing on a PC, unless it's a fun unique title to the console. However, I do think in recent times that VR has been a fantastic advancement in the medical industry where we've been countless articles on how it's been able to help people slowly get back on their feet, using their brain, and physically helping someone by using their muscles. So great potential and use there. A negative would be the lack of human interaction we have with other humans, naturally as we're built for real life interaction, I think this could be damaging, especially with the new Apple headsets or whatever that's been floating about. Personally not a fan at all. In summary, I think the equipment is expensive and lacks excitment for users to switch over from other consoles, whilst also requiring futher invementment into the industry. Metaverse to me just doesn't give me that hype.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
BeyondBelief

Great answer. While I'm personally not enthusiastic about the metaverse, I can see the myriad benefits VR has to offer specific industries

BeyondBelief's avatar
BeyondBelief
Alex Sinclair

Thank you so much Alex!

Horror and Cats's avatar
Horror and Cats

I’ve got a Quest 2 and when I first got it, I tested out a few of the social apps because it was my first VR experience. They were fun. That’s about it.

VR has a strong future in gaming, entertainment, and social hangs like seeing a movie in a “theater” together with friends, but not at the level Meta is trying to make happen.

I don’t think it’s dangerous; it’s not going to turn into Ready Player One or a Wall-E situation where we all have muscle atrophy from sitting with screens strapped to our faces in powered chairs for too long. It is, however, gimmicky and impractical.

The cost of entry is too high and the learning curve is too steep for the average human to want to swap mindless scrolling while on the toilet or half-watching TV for strapping a headset to their face for the afternoon… every afternoon.

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar
FirestormGamingTeam

I am strictly against this, I think any kind of “virtual world” in terms of headsets etc, is a bad idea, we need to remain “human”, not become a society of mindless drones, living in a virtual world, gaming is one thing, but this metaverse has “re-doing human society” all over it.

Ready Player One outlines this issue and the Metaverse is exactly what that film/book outlines. So if you think about it, what we need to do is focus on getting humans off this planet, not creating the means to keep them here.

Kane Carnifex's avatar
Kane Carnifex
FirestormGamingTeam

gimmi the Oasis, i can handle this.

Limal's avatar
Limal

I'm glad tech is still in early stage of development, especially comfort and UX. Else i would be really worry about social interactions.

i also think that such devices could be used to control people, like lite version of the Matrix.

Paul's avatar
Paul

I do not like the look of this.

Its difficult as it is to monitor a persons safety while online let alone literally having your face in the platform. I think I read that a child was already preyed on. Until we can protect vulnerable people online effectively and there is a full understanding of how this may effect a person's wellbeing it should not be available to the public.

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